Antoine Corridor

Listed in The Top 7 Spots to Live: 2020 and Beyond

Antoine Corridor

"Right now, we see it as a drive-through neighborhood, and we want to make it unique and creative enough that people drive to it, not through it."

—Wayne Norden, president of the Near Northwest Management District and area resident for 27 years

Population: 28,000Walk Score: 44/100

What it has going for it: The area is chock-full of good housing stock that Houstonians are finally beginning to notice. "We're getting a lot of new residents—they're priced out of the Heights and Garden Oaks and Oak Forest, so we're the next step," Norden says. "There's a large number of 25- to 35-year-olds moving in, some with families, some without, who are recognizing the value of the area." The corridor is nestled on the north side of Highway 290, outside 610, which makes the location ideal for folks who can't afford the Inner Loop but want easy access to it.

What's on the horizon: Antoine Drive is getting a makeover in the next couple of years, adding wider sidewalks and bike lanes to bolster what Norden says is an active cycling community. Plans are underway to enhance White Oak Bayou and Vogel Creek, including adding waterside trails and green space. The management district is also working on attracting developers to the area's aging and underwhelming retail centers, and bringing in more local retailers like coffee houses and bike repair shops. "We're a great community for mom-and-pops, with reasonably priced rents and very flexible management companies that want to bring that kind of business here," Norden says.

Estimated date of arrival: 2024, by which time improvements to Antoine Drive and construction on 290 should be complete.

What would seal the deal: The main challenge to the Antoine Corridor's future, Norden says, is its past. "People still refer to our area as not the right place to be," he says. "That's okay, because we're getting the explorers and the people that want to be first in line. So there are great values, and people are taking advantage of that."

Livable Centers Vision Statement

Transform Antoine into a destination intertwined with the waters of White Oak Bayou and Vogel Creek, linked to the heart of Houston by waterside trails and enhanced transit, punctuated by unique parks and community gardens, to be reborn as a walkable, bikable mixed-use corridor anchored by landmark buildings and lively public spaces.